Page 94 - Golf World (February 2020)

// switzerland

Andermatt

While a pair of skis are the
traditional oversize baggage
check-in before flying to the
Swiss Alps, the opening of a
new championship golf course
in Andermatt in 2016 has given
golfers a reason to pack up
their clubs and experience golf
in the breathtaking
surroundings of a glorious
alpine summer. It’s an
experience distinct from most
other golfing excursions, like
teeing it up in the middle of
The Sound of Music – and it’s
absolutely fantastic.
Andermatt has already been
voted as the country’s best
18-hole course at the 2018
Swiss Golf Awards – and it’s
very easy to see why. The
design and facilities have all
the hallmarks of a proper
championship experience
in one of the most spectacular
settings you could imagine.
The village of Andermatt is
located in a valley in the Uri
canton, one of the four original
cantons of Switzerland. The
course lies just outside, nestled
into a relatively flat parcel of
land that is surrounded by
imposing mountains and criss-
crossed by streams and ponds
that come into play on 15 holes.
It’s a subtly clever design
that forces strategic decisions
off the tee, so you can have the
optimum approach into some
inventive and testing green
complexes. The conditioning
is excellent, especially
considering the course spends
the winter under deep snow.
The layout stretches to
6,927 yards off the tips, but
most visitors will choose to play
it off the whites at 6,701 or
yellows at 6,390. It’s also worth
remembering that your ball will
fly a good club or more farther
at this altitude.
Watching your almost
luminous white ball soar
against the alpine green of the
stunning mountain backdrops
that surround you is a glorious
sight – particularly when it flies
further than ever before. The
hot chocolate and fondue in the
19th are pretty special, too.
// andermatt-swissalps.ch